Spicy Pork Bulgogi Bowl

Ingredients

• 600 g pork shoulder, very thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Asian pear or kiwi, grated
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp gochujang paste
• 200 g beansprouts
• 300 g cooked short-grain rice
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• kimchi and extra gochujang, to serve
• Pickled cucumber, to serve
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. In a bowl, whisk the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger and grated pear into a glossy, brick-red marinade. The pear's enzymes tenderise the pork and the sugars will be what caramelises in the pan, so don't skip it. Season the pork lightly with salt and pepper, then add it to the bowl and toss until every slice is properly coated. Leave for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours in the fridge.
2. Bring a small pan of water to the boil, salt it well, and blanch the beansprouts for 1 minute — just until they lose their raw snap but keep their crunch. Drain and set aside. Get this out of the way before the pork hits the pan; once you start searing, you won't have hands free.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large stainless or cast-iron pan over the highest heat your hob will give you — you want it shimmering and just starting to smoke. Lift the pork out of the marinade with tongs, leaving the excess marinade behind in the bowl (you'll need it in a minute). Sear the pork in two or three batches — don't crowd the pan or the meat steams in its own juices instead of catching colour. Leave each batch undisturbed for 2 minutes so the edges go deeply caramelised and lacquered, then toss for another minute. The garlic in the marinade will catch fast at this heat — watch it, you want fragrant and pale gold, not burnt and bitter. Transfer each batch to a warm plate as it's done.
4. With the pan still hot and the fond clinging to the base, pour in the reserved marinade with a 2-tablespoon splash of water. Scrape the brown stuck bits up with a wooden spoon and let it bubble hard for 30–45 seconds until it turns glossy and syrupy. Slide the pork back in and toss to coat — the marinade has gone from raw paste to proper sauce. Taste: most of the salt comes from the soy and gochujang, but check and adjust now, not at the table.
5. Divide the warm rice between four bowls. Pile the sticky, lacquered pork on top, tangle the beansprouts alongside, and spoon any remaining pan sauce over the meat. Scatter the sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds across each bowl, and serve with kimchi and a small dish of extra gochujang on the side for anyone chasing more heat.